Winning His W | Page 4

moment. One group, consisting of
twenty or more young men, particularly interested Will, for their noise
and exuberance seemed to know no bounds. At last a young man,
evidently a student though slightly older than the most in the group,
approached them and said: "Here, you sophs! You're making too much
noise. Children should be seen, not heard."
"All right, pop," responded one; and for a time the noise decreased. But
it was not long before it broke forth afresh and became even more
violent than before. Both Will and Foster were curiously watching the
group; they almost instinctively looked upon them as natural enemies
and yet were compelled to laugh at their antics.
"Here you, taxi-driver," suddenly called out one of the sophomores
advancing from the midst of his classmates and approaching one of the
cabs, a line of which were drawn up near the platform.
"Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Here you are! Here you are! This way!" responded a
half-dozen of the taxi-drivers.
"Be still!" replied the young man solemnly to the noisy men. "Can't you
see I'm engaged with John? Now, John, tell me honestly, are you free?"
"Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Take you anywhere ye say," responded the driver
glibly.
"You're sure you're at liberty?"
"Yes, sir. Yes, sir."
"All right, then. I'm glad to hear it. I've a great respect for liberty. That's
all I wanted to know; thank you," he added, politely bowing; then
turning to his classmates he said: "I say, fellows, make it three for

liberty!"
The cheers were given with a will, and then the leader added solemnly,
"Let's make it three for our class, the best class that ever entered old
Winthrop! Now then!"
These cheers also were loudly given, but they ceased abruptly when it
was seen that the train, for whose coming they had been waiting, was
now approaching.
CHAPTER II
PETER JOHN'S ARRIVAL
Before the rumbling train halted at the station, there was a rush of
students toward it, all eager to welcome the incoming crowd, and every
one apparently being desirous of being the first to greet his friends.
Upon the platforms of the cars also crowds of students were to be seen,
waving their hats in the air or standing with their traveling bags in their
hands, all as eager as the boys at the station to be foremost in the
reunion scene.
Will Phelps and his room-mate stood a little back from the assembly
and watched the proceedings with an interest which neither could
conceal. It was all so stimulating, this animation and bustle and
manifest eagerness in renewing the college life, and to feel that they too
were to have a share in the possessions of these young men, scarcely
one of whom was known to them personally, was in itself sufficient to
quicken their pulses and arouse all the dormant forces of their nature.
The train was a long one and yet from every car came pouring forth the
stream of students and the excitement continued for several minutes.
Suddenly a shout went up from the crowd and there was a rush of
students toward the rear car. "There's Baker! Good old Sam! Hurrah for
the captain!" were among the cries that could be heard as the students
surged toward the platform, from which a sturdy young man could be
seen descending, apparently unmindful of the interest his coming had
aroused and striving to be indifferent to the cheers that greeted his

arrival.
Will Phelps and Foster Bennett almost unconsciously moved with the
throng though they were not fully aware of the cause of the sudden
interest of the students. "It may be that he's the captain of the football
team," said Will in a low voice to his companion. "At any rate the
captain's name is Baker and probably this is the man."
Foster nodded his head but made no other reply as he stood watching
the young man as he stepped down from the platform. There could be
no question as to who he was, for the conquering hero was writ large
upon his powerful frame and the universal deference of the student
body could be accounted for only by the fact that a leader in Winthrop
had arrived.
"Look there, Will," said Foster suddenly. "There's Peter John."
"Where?"
"Right behind Baker. Just coming out of the door. See him?"
"Yes," responded Will as he obtained a glimpse of his classmate just as
he was emerging from the doorway. Travel-stained, his hat pushed
back on his head, his eyes wildly staring about at the crowd, a huge
carpet-bag in his hand, his appearance certainly would have attracted
the attention of the spectators had it not been that their interest was
apparently centered in the mighty captain of the football team and they